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Mareel - Cinema & Music Venue


madcow
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Why does the Recreational Trust never get a mention! THey are getting 2.5 million next financial year and god alone knows how much they've had since their inception in 1982!

 

And 8, yes 8! Leisure Centres/Swimming Pools across Shetland

 

I'm sorry but Shetland needed something else, other than lesiure facilities coming out of every corner

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Thanks for providing it. It is an asset, very busy, well, when I was there. There were folk in the afternoon as well. Mind, there are some who have not used it that complain, but I guess they also do not use the sports facilities as well. I liked the use of the link with the Bop Shop, it is certainly starting to prove its worth. Now, apart from sports and music, the media education may enable some more youngsters to get off the islands, become more experienced and return as the S.I.C. stats show to happen.

Sadly, it sounds even more an object for folk just to vent their bile on here, I heard nothing like this from folk who I spoke to, there was a concern over the cost, but it still needs support. I think folk here just want it to fail to prove a point they made, then on to the next object of bile desire.

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Why does the Recreational Trust never get a mention! THey are getting 2.5 million next financial year and god alone knows how much they've had since their inception in 1982!

 

And 8, yes 8! Leisure Centres/Swimming Pools across Shetland

 

I'm sorry but Shetland needed something else, other than lesiure facilities coming out of every corner

 

Yes your right they are 8, next to schools mostly which saved they council puting that facilitys into the actual school. and the gen public can use them too, where if it had been in the schools then they possibily wouldnt.

 

the old thing about 'what about them?' comes up now and again. Thing is 2 wrongs dont make a right. so no point pointing at the srt. srt is for folk to run swim etc about - keeping them physicaily and mentealy healthy, where a cinema and consert venue makes them sit on their bottoms - filling their face with food and drink - ie not physicail in anyway, infact it will make them fat. Then fat folk need more NHS when it all comes too much. So you will never win aginst a venue that makes you thin aginst a venue that could make you fat.

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The Mareel is far more than just a fat person maker. Parents make fat people, as well as some health issues. Eating proper meals, physical activity and mental activity lends towards a happy healthy person, mental stimulation as well, without the use of drugs helps a great deal as well. I heard there were interests in the jazz concerts from very young and old, if the Mareel is making all types of music accessible to all folk in nice surroundings, a mug of coffee and some new company, how bad can that be? Complaining just about the cost will not detract anything from its worth.

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Yes your right they are 8, next to schools mostly which saved they council puting that facilitys into the actual school. and the gen public can use them too, where if it had been in the schools then they possibily wouldnt.

And the schools pay very handsomely for the privilege - sizeable amounts of public money changing hands for their use to make them appear more sustainable...

 

So you will never win aginst a venue that makes you thin aginst a venue that could make you fat.

The most narrow-minded statement I've read in a long time...

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Thinking about Sumo wrestlers now, lazy people. If you have ever worked in the music or film industry, you tend to do quite a bit of physical stuff. Last time I sat down at a concert was when I was in the orchestra. Damn the TeeHee too, you with them must also fall into the fat sitting bracket, unless you ride an exercise bike. Thank Shiva for Wii.

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Thanks for providing it. It is an asset, very busy, well, when I was there. There were folk in the afternoon as well. Mind, there are some who have not used it that complain, but I guess they also do not use the sports facilities as well. I liked the use of the link with the Bop Shop, it is certainly starting to prove its worth. Now, apart from sports and music, the media education may enable some more youngsters to get off the islands, become more experienced and return as the S.I.C. stats show to happen.

Sadly, it sounds even more an object for folk just to vent their bile on here, I heard nothing like this from folk who I spoke to, there was a concern over the cost, but it still needs support. I think folk here just want it to fail to prove a point they made, then on to the next object of bile desire.

 

Hit the nail on the head and at last a post I could understand Peat :wink: x

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Well maybe the new man at the helm of Shetland Arts Trust will be able to fix anything that is broken and perhaps come up with new ideas. Certainly sounded positive on Radio Shetland this evening.

 

i heard him he sounded quite good, they are puting a lot on this new staff coming. shame the managment/trustees above havent managed to sort stuff out. so good luck to them

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Well maybe the new man at the helm of Shetland Arts Trust will be able to fix anything that is broken and perhaps come up with new ideas. Certainly sounded positive on Radio Shetland this evening.

 

Agree, he seemed very positive and stated they wanted to reduce dependency on the public purse. Lets hope he can steer the ship in the right direction.

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Mind, there are some who have not used it that complain, but I guess they also do not use the sports facilities as well.

 

So what are you saying, just because nothing has been on in the five months its been open that appealed to me, and that I am of the opinion that the auditorium is so underused so far for decently paying gigs, that its a millstone around Mareel's neck, and a surefire way the public will have to bail the facility out with running costs defecits, that I have no right to dare mention it? That I should go and pay for things that I have no use for or interest in before I earn the right to comment? A strange world of strange logic that.

 

I am not complaining about what is, I am complaining about what isn't. The reason why I have not yet used it, and the reason why I fear it will need public money, my money, to sustain. If something had been on that attracted me to attend, my first point would be null and void, by your logic it would be impossible to raise the issue of gaps in the genre of acts so far for anyone who hadn't been in to any that had actually been enough to pay to see them.

 

I think folk here just want it to fail to prove a point they made, then on to the next object of bile desire.

 

Very good, Peat. Cast sweeping generalised aspersions without actually pointing them at anything or anyone in particular. Absolutely zero contribution to any possible discussion, but hey ho, you sure have a rosy future as a lawyer or politician.

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Alas, it is not just your money. That is an age old excuse, it is my money. Still, initially, those who use the production facilities will benefit, and in the long term, everyone. The educational side is a big part in this, not just what you can see from the outside. Though, what I did see was quite allot of folk there. Who would not be there if it was not built and offered what it does.

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Hi Ghostrider. I'm not too hot with the quoting but I'll do my best
I can only assume that many of the posts about Mareel being underused are from folk who don't actually go to Mareel.

 

Don't. As surely its rather early days yet to label folk as those "who don't actually go to Mareel", wouldn't "haven't been to Mareel yet" be a fairer description?

 

I haven't been, I'd like to have been, but there's been nothing on yet I'd begin to consider paying money to listen to.

 

You have a point, but I said later in my post "any/many events"

 

There's plenty of music on that you don't have to pay to see. I've been particularly impressed with the variety of styles at the singer songwriter events for instance. Might be worth taking a chance?.

 

I'm sure there are, but this kinda misses the point I was trying to make. That for the greater part the auditorium is sitting empty, costing, not earning, and few of the shows which have been put on in it so far could reasonably be expected to do more than break even. As a public service its doing okay, there's a wide variety of music genres been represented so far, but as an "at least breakeven" enterprise, which we were sold it as, it's not looking too great from here.

 

I'm not complaining about what music has been so far, assumedly a number of folk enjoyed it and that's good, nor am I complaining about paying to hear music. I'm just saying there's still numerous genres which have not yet been catered to, my noise of choice among them, and that there seems to be a dearth of "mass-market appeal" events, designed to get folk through the doors and fill the coffers enough to "carry" the more niche stuff. More worryingly, that even when a mass market act is put on, ticket sales appear sluggish.

 

 

I've been to several music events that appear to have been sold out in the auditorium (and others that haven't),....

 

Care to list those which have appeared to have been sold out? As I said, the jungle drums I've heard have just picked up on the one.

 

So far the concerts I've been to which have sold out (or at least appeared to - there were no more than a few seats left) were the Blues Festival (only one night), the AHS 150th anniversary concert, the Shetland Community Orchestra concert and Shetland Meets Appalachia. I had a ticket to see Cerys Matthews too but couldn't go, and that was definitely a sell out.

 

All seated concerts mind (I'm not as young as I used to be) but I dropped off and picked up folk at the Revellers fancy dress concert at Halloween and the place was heaving. I've also been to an opera recital and a jazz concert and numbers were lower, as might be expected.

 

The thing here is I'm seeing that as tending to support my point of view, not counteract it. The Revellers was I one I was referring too, the others apart from Shetland Meets Appalachia and Cerys Matthews were "one trick ponies" ie. once only or once annually events, while its good they were and a lot of folk enjoyed them, the profits made from them have to be spread over at least twelve months before they generate funds again, it ain't much per week I wouldn't think. Also, being seated, they'd only have required half the audience of standing to sell out, half the the number of head equals half the income and half the profit, tickets tend to be priced according to the earning power of the act, not the audience size.

 

 

If folk want to see specific bands playing, why don't they organise the concerts themselves?

 

I would be willing to investigate doing so, and would have already done so. However the dearth of readily available relevant information both before and after completion has been decidedly off-putting on that score. "Contact Us" IMHO is a poor way to try and tempt people to consider hiring it.

 

What info would you be looking for before you make contact? From my understanding, each event is different in terms of onstage requirements, staffing, ticketing etc so I expect hirers would need to discuss all that kind of thing in detail with the management anyway.

 

The constants for any performance in the auditorium, a ballpark average/minimum "bare room" hire charge, max available stage area, whether decibel limits are H & S Regs Workplace limits or a lower limit set by SA, whether using the "in house" fixed sound system is mandatory, whether bar arrangements are negotiable and whether bar profits as result are on a negotiable split etc etc.

 

 

In all seriousness, how many of the people complaining here about Mareel being underused have actually been to any/many events?? To be honest, I can't see how folk think it's underused, but that's just from my own experience as a not particularly regular customer.

 

I had my doubts about the project at the beginning, and I wouldn't consider myself as a convert, but come of folks - it seems like there's moaning going on for the sake of moaning without anything to back it up.

 

Has there been something on in the main auditorium every Friday and Saturday night designed to fill the place? I rest my case.

 

I don't recall two sell out events in the auditorium every weekend being part of the forecasts and if they were I'd have been suspicious. I don't know of any venues who sell out so regularly.

 

My recollection is that there were projections to have a variety of events to cater for a range of styles and presumably audience numbers. I'd be surprised if opera or jazz sold out to be honest, but I'm glad they're putting on such events.

 

Also I believe the auditorium is used regularly as a practice venue for local groups - the Choral Society do anyway.

 

On the other side of the coin, I've been very pleasantly surprised by the number of music events in the cafe. It's a great place for an intimate concert.

 

I did say "designed to sell out", not guaranteed to sell out. When organising an event the person/people doing it have to make a call on expected numbers, if you book something popular you hope for a sell out, you may or may not achieve one, but you did your best to get there. When you book a lesser popular act (like you opera of jazz examples) you only expect a partial capacity audience.

 

My point is that Mareel seems to be having extremely few popular acts which could be hoped to possibly achieve a sell out, and which IMHO they'd need at least one if not two per week of to survive. Does Posers only open on occasional weekends, did the North Star only open on occasional weekends, no, they try, and tried every weekend to get as many through their doors as possible, leaving aside the often dire offerings they put on to do it with, they succeed well enough to make money.

 

Mareel's auditorium, as was said earlier is sitting either unused, or only being used by something that can at best only hope to pay the power bill, for more weekend nights in the immediate future than its being used for events which could be hoped to bring a significantly sizeable audience in. It cannot possibly pay being run in such a way.

 

It should be by all accounts a reasonably decent venue, yet there's an apparent reluctance with both local promoters and SA themselves to use it very often for decent crowd pulling acts. Hence my original question, is there something "wrong" with the facility, the promoters, or just a drought among imported acts in general to travel Northlink/Flybe.

 

I'm not knocking the fact folk like the Choral society are enjoying the facility, however I very much doubt they pay the same per use as someone staging a band and hoping for a 500+ audience, as I would be very surprised if they pay that. Hence while their contribution is helping, its only a very little.

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